RICHARDSON, Texas (Feb. 21, 2002) - Dr. Mehrdad Nourani, assistant
professor of electrical engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas
(UTD), has been granted a Career Award from the National Science
Foundation (NSF) for his work with Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI)
circuits, particularly focusing on self-testing methods for high-speed
chip interconnects.

The award, worth more than $389,000 over the next five years, is part
of the NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development program. The Career
Award is the NSF’s most prestigious honor for junior faculty members
and recognizes and supports the activities of the teachers and scholars
who are most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century.
Recipients are selected on the basis of creative early career
development plans that effectively integrate research and education
within the context of the mission of their respective institutions.

The VLSI chips Nourani researches essentially are microelectronic
circuits with millions of tiny transistors. Such sophisticated chips,
often referred to as System-on-Chip (SoC), are used in numerous
applications - including computers, cars, airplanes and communication
and robotic systems - to perform control and data processing functions.

Nourani’s studies are dedicated to developing new design techniques
and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools for incorporating self-testing
features into SoC interconnects, that is, the “wires” that connect
various chip’s sub-systems, known as cores.

Nourani’s
research, which will be conducted with the assistance of faculty and
students in UTD’s Center for Integrated Circuits and Systems in the
Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, is important
because transistors and interconnects must be
tested prior to shipment to ensure reliability. However, thorough
testing often is very difficult and time-consuming due to the small size
and complexity of the chips. A self-testing option implanted within the
chip - also known as a Built-In Self-Test, or BIST - would enable a
solution in spite of these difficulties.

“I am honored the NSF recognizes the importance of my work in SoC
testing,” Nourani said. “According to the Semiconductor Industry
Association roadmap, test costs will dominate design expenses in the
near future, and most existing test methodologies don’t have enough
muscle to do the job. My research offers an on-chip mechanism to test
interconnects against all phenomena that distort signals travelling
among cores, making it a better, more complete option.”

“We are proud to once again have a member of UTD’s Jonsson School
faculty win the prestigious NSF Career Award,” said Dr. Andrew
Blanchard, executive director of industry-university relations and
senior associate dean of the Jonsson School. “Mehrdad’s work with
VLSI circuits is groundbreaking and undoubtedly critical to the future
of chip-based technologies.”

Nourani also plans to make use of his findings in educational
applications. In particular, he hopes to advocate for better CAD tools
in the classroom and greater student exposure to high-frequency design
and test issues.

In addition to SoC testing, Nourani is interested in research related
to designs for testability, signal integrity fault modeling and testing,
application specific processors, high-level synthesis and low-power
design methodologies.

Prior to joining UTD, Nourani served in the Department of Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science at Case Western Reserve University in
Cleveland and in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
at the University of Tehran in Iran.

A member of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., and
the Association for Computing Machinery, he completed his doctorate in
computer engineering at Case Western Reserve University.

The NSF established the CAREER program in 1995 to help top-performing
scientists and engineers early in their careers continue their
commitment to research and education. Career Awards are bestowed each
year to approximately 400 junior faculty members at universities across
the country. Awards typically range in amount from $200,000 to $500,000
and in duration from four to five years.

Begun in 1950, the NSF was created to promote and advance progress in
science and engineering research education in the United States. The NSF
supports all fields of science, mathematics and engineering and is an
independent federal agency that does not fall under any cabinet
department.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of
Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major
multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor ,
enrolls approximately 7,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students.
The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of
Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university
offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral
degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the
university’s Web site at www.utdallas.edu.